Doppelgänger

Doppelgänger is a duplex development on a standard mid-block 50’ x 100’ lot in a close-in neighborhood. Rather than using the typical development approach of splitting the lot to form two individual narrow houses, this development allows both residences to occupy the entire site, intertwined as the living spaces rise from the ground floor entry to the third floor bedrooms. Each residence floor has an adjacent outdoor space and openings to the interior are carefully placed as to allow for maximum privacy between units.

Doppelgänger is a unique take on a traditional idea of duplex living. The concept spirals the living space upwards and nestles into the unit that shares the site. The concept evokes the nature of “doppelgänger” - catching a glimpse of yourself out of the corner of your own eye.

The wood framed houses use platform framing to stack on top of each other, adding a high level of acoustic separation between the units. The units are finished in opposing color/material ideas. One unit using dark, rich wood floors and cabinets and the other using a bright, warm color palette. This creates a differing personality to each of the units despite their similarities in layout. On the exterior, the units are both clad in vertical tight knot cedar and stained a dark brown/black. The highlight the different units, one house is clad in smooth cedar, the other is rough – this creates a subtle textural difference that is exaggerated in the cycling sunlight of the Pacific Northwest.

The challenges in creating this concept stemmed from the complexity of the intertwining of interior space. Standard trades like plumbing and mechanical had to carefully track their rough in paths to ensure that they stayed within the unit they intended. The contractor worked through the massing, meticulously wrapping each volume in the cedar siding.